The 49ers are dealing with a minor rash of injuries after five weeks, meaning these three practice squad players should be elevated to help out.
The San Francisco 49ers have arguably found their course after five weeks into the 2022 season. And while a rocky 1-2 start wasn’t a good omen, back-to-back impressive wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers have revealed more than adequate depth on both sides of the ball.
Those two wins have also shown the fact the Niners have been able to absorb a relatively notable recent rash of injuries.
San Francisco has been without running backs Tyrion Davis-Price and Elijah Mitchell for much of the season already. Then, in Week 3, the 49ers lost All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to a high-ankle sprain for a few weeks.
Week 5’s win over Carolina proved to be even more devastating, though, as the Niners watched safety Jimmie Ward break his hand on the first play of the game. Interestingly enough, it was Ward’s first play of the regular season after he missed the first four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Making matters worse, that same game resulted in starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffering a torn ACL late in the contest, putting even more pressure on San Francisco’s depth within the secondary.
General manager John Lynch is likely to explore external options to help make up the difference, both on the free-agent wire and through possible trades ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline.
However, if the 49ers elect to stay in-house, they could always promote these three players up from the practice squad.
49ers practice squad player No. 3: Safety Tayler Hawkins
In a sense, the Niners didn’t necessarily need Jimmie Ward to return in Week 5, given how well this side of the ball has performed en route to being the NFL’s top-billed defense so far this season.
Even Ward joked about this prior to his return from the hamstring injury:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTa5rMXNIfw
San Francisco has received excellent play from one of those contingency additions prior to the regular season, Tashaun Gipson, while second-year strong safety Talanoa Hufanga is making a strong bid for a Pro Bowl nod with his own play, too.
That said, adding a depth piece to support these two while adding some special teams prowess wouldn’t hurt.
Rookie defensive back Tayler Hawkins might have gone undrafted, but he impressed during both training camp and in the preseason, recording an interception during that exhibition phase and allowing a passer rating of just 47.9 when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus.
Granted, the regular-season context is vastly different, but Hawkins might be worth an extended look on the active roster.
49ers practice squad player No. 2: Linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball
One of the other injuries the 49ers are dealing with right now is the loss of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to an ankle injury suffered back in Week 3.
Granted, the Niners already had a trio of starting-caliber linebackers, Al-Shaair joined by both Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, meaning they could afford to have one of them sit on an injury list as long as there wasn’t any substantial injury to one of the other two.
On top of that, San Francisco trusts depth linebacker and special teams ace Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to plug the gap. Veteran Oren Burks is in the mix, too.
However, as is the case with Tayler Hawkins, undrafted rookie Marcelino McCrary-Ball impressed during the preseason, and fans shouldn’t soon forget his interception and substantial return in the Week 1 exhibition game against the Green Bay Packers:
Marcelino McCrary-Ballin'!
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 13, 2022
📺 #GBvsSF on KPIX pic.twitter.com/bwZXROMxDO
That one play wasn’t enough to put McCrary-Ball on the 53-man roster, but it undoubtedly convinced the 49ers to further develop him on their practice squad.
As a No. 5 linebacker until Al-Shaair returns, however, McCrary-Ball would be worth exploring as a depth contingency plan.
49ers practice squad player No. 1: Defensive back Dontae Johnson
Ah, yes. The inevitability of veteran defensive back Dontae Johnson.
The Niners suffer a huge blow by losing Emmanuel Moseley for the rest of the year. While fellow cornerback Charvarius Ward has deservedly received the bulk of the credit for turning around San Francisco’s secondary this year, Moseley has been nearly as impressive.
It’ll be tough to make up for his absence.
Granted, the 49ers are eagerly anticipating the healthy return of veteran corner Jason Verrett, who has already missed the first five weeks of the season after recovering from last year’s ACL tear. Once Verrett is 100 percent, he’ll likely take over Moseley’s boundary spot.
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But the oft-injured defensive back might not be there just yet. So, in the interim, the Niners can do what they’ve seemingly always done.
Promote Johnson.
Johnson might not be anything prolific when it comes to a top contributor, but San Francisco trusts him in a number of different roles. Whether it’s on the boundary, lined up over the slot or even at safety, Johnson is both serviceable and versatile.
He’s also available right now to help bridge the gap between Moseley and Verrett.